HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY
To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.
Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.
THE USAGE PANEL
The Usage Panel is a group of nearly 200 prominent scholars, creative writers, journalists, diplomats, and others in occupations requiring mastery of language. Annual surveys have gauged the acceptability of particular usages and grammatical constructions.
AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP
The new American Heritage Dictionary app is now available for iOS and Android.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG
The articles in our blog examine new words, revised definitions, interesting images from the fifth edition, discussions of usage, and more.
INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?
Check out the Dictionary Society of North America at http://www.dictionarysociety.com
adj. clos·er, clos·est 1. Being near in space or time. See Usage Note at redundancy. 2. Being near in relationship: close relatives. 3. Bound by mutual interests, loyalties, or affections; intimate: close friends. 4. Having little or no space between elements or parts; tight and compact: a close weave. 5. Being near the surface; short: a close haircut. 6. Being on the brink of: close to tears. 7. Decided by a narrow margin; almost even: a close election. 8. Faithful to the original: a close copy. 9. Very attentive; rigorous; thorough: a close reading; close supervision. 10. Shut; closed. 11. Shut in; enclosed. 12. Confining or narrow; crowded: close quarters. 13. Fitting tightly: close garments. 14. Warm and humid or stuffy: close weather; a close room. 15. Confined to specific persons or groups: a close secret. 16. Strictly confined or guarded: kept under close custody. 17. Secretive; reticent: was close about her personal life. 18. Giving or spending with reluctance; stingy: He is known to be close with his money. 19. Not easily acquired; scarce: Money was close. 20. Linguistics Pronounced with the tongue near the palate, as the ee in meet. Used of vowels. 21. Marked by more rather than less punctuation, especially commas. v. (klōz) closed, clos·ing, clos·es v.tr. 1. To move (a door, for example) so that an opening or passage is covered or obstructed; shut. 2. To bar access to: closed the road for repairs. 3. To fill or stop up: closed the cracks with plaster. 4. To stop the operations of permanently or temporarily: closed down the factory. 5. To make unavailable for use: closed the area to development; closed the database to further changes. 6. To bring to an end; terminate: close a letter; close a bank account. 7. To bring together all the elements or parts of: Management closed ranks and ostracized the troublemaker. 8. To join or unite; bring into contact: close a circuit. 9. To draw or bind together the edges of: close a wound. 10. Sports To modify (one's stance), as in baseball or golf, by turning the body so that the forward shoulder and foot are closer to the intended point of impact with the ball. 11. To complete the final details or negotiations on: close a deal. 12. Archaic To enclose on all sides. v.intr. 1. To become shut: The door closed quietly. 2. To come to an end; finish: The book closes on a hopeful note. 3. To reach an agreement; come to terms: We close on the house next week. 4. To cease operation: The shop closes at six. 5. To be priced or listed at a specified amount when trading ends: Stocks closed higher on Monday. 6. a. To engage at close quarters: closed with the enemy. b. To draw near: The orbiter closed with the space station in preparation for docking. 7. To come together: My arms closed around the little child. 8. Baseball To finish a game by protecting a lead. Used of relief pitchers. n. (klōz) 1. The act of closing. 2. A conclusion; a finish: The meeting came to a close. 3. Music The concluding part of a phrase or theme; a cadence. 4. (klōs) An enclosed place, especially land surrounding or beside a cathedral or other building. 5. (klōs) Chiefly British A narrow way or alley. 6. Archaic A fight at close quarters. adv. (klōs) closer, closest Phrasal Verbs: In a close position or manner; closely: stayed close together. close in 1. To seem to be gathering in on all sides: The problems closed in. 2. To advance on a target so as to block escape: The police closed in on the sniper. 3. To surround so as to make unusable: The airport was closed in by fog. close out Idioms: 1. To dispose of (a line of merchandise) at reduced prices. 2. To terminate, as by selling: close out a business. close the book on To make a final effort regarding (something); bring to a conclusion: closed the book on her career with a fine performance. close to home/the bone So as to affect one's feelings or interests: Her comment hit close to home. close to the wind Nautical At a close angle into the direction from which the wind is blowing: sailing close to the wind. [Middle English clos, closed, from Old French, from Latin clausus, past participle of claudere, to close. V., from Middle English closen, from Old French clore, clos-, from Latin claudere.] closa·ble, closea·ble (klōzə-bəl) adj. closely adv. closeness n. closing (klōzĭng) n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
